Montessori Lessons, Ideas and More…

Below, are links for a complete summer seashell unit study. These PreK and K-8 links will lead you to articles, hands-on activities and other exercises that are compatible with the Montessori classified reading cards, phonics, grammar, creative writing, science, social studies and other extensive lesson plans found in Montessori lesson planning

Montessori Classified Reading Cards and Other Aids to Learn About Seashells

Below, are links for a complete summer gardening unit study. These PreK and K-8 links will lead you to articles, hands-on activities and other exercises that are compatible with the Montessori classified reading cards, phonics, grammar, creative writing, science, social studies and other extensive lesson plans found in Montessori books.

This unit study was brought to you by Heidi Spietz. To learn more about Heidi, click here.

Montessori Classified Reading Cards and Other Aids to Learn About Summer and Year Round Gardening

As we move into the months of March and April, we continue to be on the look out for ways to employ an interdisciplinary approach to our lesson planning. Last year, a child who had very little interest in physical science was referred to me for tutoring. I used Montessori based hands-on lesson planning and independent research assignments to help spark an interest in this subject. And, like so many students I have tutored using the Montessori approach, it wasn’t long before I could visibly see a positive difference in how she approached the tutoring sessions.

My student’s interest in learning more about the physical properties of rocks began with learning to apply the Mohs scale of hardness http://www.minerals.net/resource/property/hardness.aspx to the specimens she examined. However, her interest didn’t stop there. By engaging in classified reading cards http://www.amonco.org/spring1_2001.html and completing additional research, she began to learn about how these rocks were formed. Within a short span of time, she was able to easily distinguish a sedimentary rock from a metamorphic rock based on other criteria, as well.

She seemed to really benefit from the investigatory projects and research assignments and enjoyed reviewing the hands-on Montessori classified reading cards, matching exercises and charts. These latter hands-on activities helped her to review and build on the concepts that she had already mastered. For example, when she studied about metamorphic rocks, this student learned that marble was employed in the construction of the Michelangelo sculpture.

Further research lead her to discover that this particular metamorphic rock was used to carve the Michelangelo sculpture and actually came from the quarries near the town of Carrara, Italy. Hence the name ‘Carrara marble” was coined.

At this point in the learning process, this student’s interest in metamorphic rocks was piqued, and she became curious about the uses of other types of metamorphic rocks. By engaging in additional research, she discovered that the metamorphic rock, quartzite, is used to make swimming pools, and that the brilliant blue Lapis Lazuli can be used to create a stunning pair of decorative earrings or embedded in other fine jewelry.

Eventually, my student was able to identify each rock in any random collection presented to her. Usually, each collection contained a mix of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. If she picked out, for example, a gneiss specimen, she would identify it as metamorphosed granite, and could tell me why this rock has characteristic stripes.

You can view some of the lessons I used for this student in Montessori at Home: A Creative Teaching Guide for Parents of Children Six through Nine Years of Age and Modern Montessori at Home: A Creative Teaching Guide for Parents of Children 10 through 12 Years of Age Visit. http://www.amonco.og/bookstore.html for details.

At http://www.rocksandminerals4u.com/ rocksandminerals4, you will find detailed information designed for both students and teachers on the following topics: the rock cycle, igneous rocks, earth’s interior, mineral identification, and birthstones. Plus you will discover links to a rock gallery, rock links, and their rock shop.

LORD Company, http://www.lordequip.com/ offers free Montessori Land and Water Forms Cards and Labels for a hands on experience exploring the differences and similarities of Lake and Island, Cape and Bay, Isthmus and Strait, Peninsula and Gulf, and Archipelago and System of Lakes. To access this free download, visit http://www.lordequip.com/land_water.php

Some basic rock and mineral information is available from the following web resources: